The Flames Of Love
by DrizztDo'UrdenNeverDies
Summary: Okay, okay, I know it's a cheesy title guys, but it fits and it's all I can think of. PyroBel (PyronicaXMabel)! When a glamours teenager who says she's from Iceland suddenly stars appearing in Gravity Falls, Mabel thinks she might have met her match. In more ways than one. Rated T because there are a few mentions of drinking and why not, you know?
1. Fiery Beginnings

Mabel stared at the page. Her eye twitched. Silence. Her pencil let out a small creak.

 _Five days later..._

"Mabel, get ready! We're going to Greasy's for lunch!" Dipper's voice shouts from outside our shared bedroom's door. I sigh.

"I will, Dip!" I call back. It's time to find the perfect sweater! I have been absolutely _dying_ to wear my sweater with the burgers and french fries on it during a trip to Greasy's since I knitted it. I'm positive that Lazy Susan will love it almost as much as I do! "What do you think, Waddles?" I ask him, spinning so he can properly enjoy the glam of my outfit. I've chosen an orange skirt and headband to go along with my sweater, and personally, I think it's fab. Waddles snorts and I laugh, knowing what he means. I walk out of our room, runway style, avoiding the mirror as I do. I have my reasons.

Dipper sighs as I come out, rolling his eyes as I do. "Finally," he says, gesturing for me to follow and plodding down the stairs, not quite two at a time. We make out to the car where Stan and Ford are waiting, and Stan huffs.

"What took you two so long?"

"Lay off them, Stanley, they're just children."

" _We_ didn't take that long."

"It wasn't me!" Dipper said, holding up his hands.

"I'm sorry I take pride in how I look, dorks!" I say, giggling a little. They're my dorks. Stan huffs again and starts the car, driving as fast as he can when Blubbs and Durland aren't in sight. Thus, we make it to Greasy's just in time for the lunch rush to be over.

When we walk in, there is one other patron. They sit in a booth a few away from our usual one, and they're wearing a crimson dress that practically glows. It's like something a movie star would wear, especially with the gold hoop earrings that they're also wearing. Something about them lights a match in me, and suddenly I am speechless. I hear Lazy Susan talking to Stan, and attempt to tear my eyes away from this glamours being. I snap out of my reverie at last when Dipper tugs me towards our table.

We eat quickly, in the Pines' tradition of shoving our faces full of food at Greasy's before Stan mistakenly tries to ask Lazy Susan out on a date and then chickens out of it at the last moment, deciding instead to order a beer. My mind dapples with the thought that maybe Grunkle Ford will somehow scoot this process along a little more. I doubt it, but why worry?!Grunkle Stan will surely find confidence when it becomes imperative.

"You know what we need, Dip Dop? A party! We'll get streamers and balloons and a fog machine!" I say, pumping my fists. I'm always a little perturbed when we're eating and we get real quiet.

Dipper nods, smiling. "Let's do it. What's our excuse?"

"Hmm..." I sigh, and see Grunkle Ford staring at us like we're aliens. I smile. "Obviously, Our long lost Grunkle Ford's arrival!" Dipper nods again.

"Stanley, do they always act like this?" Grunkle Stan nods.

"It's freakish. We never got along that well."

"We did when we were their age," Grunkle Ford says, then turns back to his food. Grunkle Stan huffs for the third time that day.

I finish my meal probably before anyone else at our table and begin to jitter excitedly. I want to start planning the party right now, so I steal a napkin from the dispenser and take out my trusty pen. It's a _super nice_ pink Gelly Roll that I always have on me, in case of an emergency. Like this one. I write down every detail I can think of, from who wants to go and man the tickets to what we'll need in terms of balloons. Dipper helps, so we've also got all the logistics planned. And ethics. It's very important when planning a party, I'm sure you can understand. He 's better with the details than me, even though I usually have all our ideas. They say this is the left brain/right brain kind of thing, so I guess it means Dipper's way more logical than me, which I'm sure is super surprising to everyone ever who knows either of us at all what so ever. I grin at Dipper, the paper seeming to turn into a completed blueprint right before my eyes. It's beautiful, but I'm writing so fast the words are getting long and loopy and sort of indecipherable, so I slow down a little bit. Indecipherable should be a show we make about how to defeat Bill Cipher. I write the idea on my arm, so I don't lose it. It's the only way I can usually keep track of _anything._

"Do you think we can pull of karaoke?" I ask, pronouncing it the correct way.

"Umm..." Dipper stumbles over his words. "I don't know the last time we did that it was to fight off a ton of zombies, remember? That wasn't exactly my idea of a party..."

"Then it's settled! Karaoke!" I shout. I'm sure he'll come around.

"Well, don't you think people will be way too embarressed to sing?" He suggests, fidgeting with the hem of his vest nervously.

"We should just make it a costume party then! Full costumes so you never know who anyone is, no exceptions!" I shout again, writing it down on the napkin with some sense of unfinal finality. Dipper nods slowly.

"Okay, okay..." He still sounds unsure, but I guess that's just who he is. I love him.

The rest of my family finshes their meals soon enough for me and I sigh. It's a little boring sometimes being the fastest eater. At least I had a party to plan. Stan has already done his date-beer thing, and Ford just seemed mildly concerned, according to Dip, so I guess it's actually time for us to leave. My theory is re-affirmed by the fact that we are currently in the car, driving home. Ah, the Mystery Shack. I'm still writing out things on the blueprint, but I think I basically have everything down except for a guest list. Also, I need to make invitations!

Once we get back to the Mystery Shack I run up the steps, get inside and then run even faster up the stairs and to my room with Dipper.

I sit down at my desk and take out a sheet of plain orange paper, letting the inspiration flow. I'm hoping it comes this time. I design the invitations Bill Cipher themed, which might get on Ford's nerves a little bit, but they're really pretty. The have gold leaf trim with triangles and top hats on the back, with black cursive writing. I need to get these to the printers, stat!

I run down stairs to the gift shop, where Grunkle Stan is talking loudly to a group of tourists about his latest scam, the hawktopus. He wouldn't give me money if I interrupted, but maybe Ford would if I found him. I search for a few minutes, but I can't find Dipper or Grunkle Ford, so they're probably doing something stupid. I guess I have to interrupted Grunkle Stan!

I run over to him and tug on his suit sleeve, crossing my fingers. Grunkle Stan glances down at me, and all the tourists do, too. I smile and give them my best cute look. An old lady in the back faints when we make eye contact, so I think it worked!

"And here is my adorable great-niece, Mabel! It's a wonder how she's always happy, almost... like a freak!" Stan says, putting on his best this-is-on-purpose-smile. I feel a little twinge in my heart that my Grunkle Stan would say something like that, but I suppose he's just making money. I'm fine!

"Hey, Grunkie!" I say in my best this-was-on-purpose-baby-voice. "Can I pwease have a few dowars fow an awrt pwoject?"

"Of course, honey! Good people, will you help me fund my precious relative?" Stan says, winking at me. I wink back. The tourists hand me more than enough money to fund myself, and I guess Stan will want some too. Perfect.

"Thwank you!" I shout, smile again, and run out the front door.

The summer air is fresh and warm against my body, and I enjoy it. I love this place! I still don't see Dipper as I run to town, and then b-line towards the printers.

The printers shop is nice, and it always seemed kind of perfect for Gravity Falls, in my mind. The tile on the floor is white and boring and shiny. As soon as you walk in, you can tell it is run by Office Man, if you know him. It's a little run down, in the way that small town things often are, but it has sort of a clean feel to it, but also soft of homey. I love it here. Office Man, when he's at the desk, is always nice, but you never think of him that way. Then, when you look up, you see it. At least, I do. I'm not sure if it's just wishful thinking that an office place could be less boring, but I know that it has to bee something special. When you look up, there are murals and pictures and tales scrawled onto the tiles of the ceiling. They're the special, fire-retardant kind of tile, that you see in schools. But these pictures are so wonderful. I see something new everytime I'm in, but there's never a blank tile. I stand around here for hours sometimes, just waiting for my print job to be down, laying face up and gazing at these stories. I trot up to the counter.

"Oh, hello Mabel! You look happy today! Well, no more then normal, but I enjoy it." The printer says, and I want to frown. The word _happy_ is really wearing on me. I think I should try and stop this cheerfulness, but it's my armor. I can't stop.

"Why thank you, Monseigneur! I have a print job for you! I need two hundred of these," I say, handing him the invitations with a flourish.

"Okay, give me a bit and I'll find you when I'm done!" He says happily, whistling as he walks to the back room. He says "find me" because he knows I'll be right here.

And I am. I would wait here forever. I lay down on the cool tile floor and stare up at the ceiling, telling myself stories.


	2. Sparks

**A/N: I'm sorry, it's a little short, but I really liked the ending as an ending rather than a transition.**

I looked eagerly from tile to tile, trying to decipher the stories that they held. On one, a particularly well-made one, a beautiful smallish brass dragon stood proud with a knight on their back, both dressed in shiny plate armor. Behind them stood a tall woman with pointed ears and bright pink hair holding a bow that seemed to glow off the surface of the tile. The knight and the woman were holding hands, standing in a cavern of gems. They all looked so happy, with these big, but somehow genuine smiles on their faces. They looked like people from a fairytale my dad used to tell me when I was little.

"Miss Mabel! Your job has been completed!" I jump up at the sudden sound of Office Man's voice.

"Thank you, Mr. Office!" I say, taking the original and the bag he has put the prints in. I peek inside as I walk out, and smile. They look perfect. It's time to hand them out and tell _everyone_ , because the whole town better come to this party. I feel the hope rise in the back of my heart that the person from the diner might be there, and while I am optimistic, I can't get my expectations high. I walk all around town, handing the invitations out to anyone and everyone, and telling them to give the invites around when they were done and for sure coming. I'm running again, of course, because who would Mabel be if she didn't run? Maybe herself, that's who. I guess I wasn't looking where I was going, though, because I run smack into something warm and soft. I should be thankful it wasn't a building.

"What are you doing?" A icy voice asks, and I look up. Oh my goodness... It's my- the woman from the diner. I feel roses bloom on my cheeks. "Seriously imp. What the Hell?"

"I- uh... I was running!" I say, and all of a sudden I wish I could be Mabel that everyone knows, the Mabel who _never_ stops or stutters and is happy no matter what she's done. "I'm sorry," I say, looking at the ground. She sneers at me.

"Of course you are." She pushes past me and walks away, and I think I hear her laugh coldly once or twice. I don't mean to, but I find myself drawn to her somehow, and I run after her, my legs pumping.

"Wait!" I call after her, but she doesn't turn around. I catch up to her quickly, since she's walking at a lackadaisical pace, but she still doesn't acknowledge me. "I want to know your name!" I shout, blushing. I feel like a girl in one of the animes Dipper used to watch.

"I don't want to give it to you."

"Well," I start, trying to smile. "Can I at least give you an invitation to a party I'm hosting?"

"No, I don't like parties hosted by little girls."

"I'm very mature for my age!"

"I'm sure," she says, her voice dipped in poison.

"Sorry I can't make everyone happy, idiot." I say under my breath.

"Hmm?"

"I said, sorry I can't make everyone happy, idiot! Get your hearing checked!" I shout, then cover my mouth with my hand. She smirks, finally looking at me. "I'm sorry," I say, trying to smile again and failing this time.

"No, you're not," she says, then holds her hand out. "I'll take an invite." I hand her one silently and she walks away, almost laughing. I stand there for a minute, unsure of what my next move should be. I haven't been this embarrassed since the last day of school in fourth grade when me and Dipper did the school talent show and I sang the wrong song the whole time, somehow. At least that was fun. I decide to keep moving. I need to get these invites out before sunset, since it says our party's in a week.

After about five hours of smiling and talking and laughing and handing the invites out, I have no more left. It's up to the townspeople now to make sure not a single person is left out. I have faith that they will do the right thing. I walk back home, trying not to look as exhausted as I am, because that would be bad. If anyone saw me, you know they wouldn't give me a break because they don't think I need one, but sometimes I do. This is the sometimes.

I get back to the Mystery Shack and back to the room I share with Dipper, and flop down on my bed. I want to close my eyes and sleep like it's already nighttime. But Dipper comes in, so I guess I'll lose that daydream.

"Hey Mabes, you okay?" Sometimes I forget Dipper knows me.

"Yeah," I nod. "I just spent this whole day handing out invites to our party!" I smile, but it feels cheap, like a tin can.

"Okay," he says, looking at me with narrowed eyes. "You should tell me if you're having a bad day. It's important, as I'm sure you're aware of." I nod. "Okay, Mabel, well I've got to go man the gift shop until dinner. Make sure you eat." I nod again and he stands up and walks out of our room. I hear him clop down the stairs and I breath out heavily. I'm _not_ having a bad day.

I guess I must've fallen asleep, because when I'm suddenly jolted back into reality, it's Dipper that I see, climbing into his bed across the room. He frowns at me, but doesn't say anything. I look at our clock. It's two in the morning. I groan softly and look back at Dip, but his either pretending to be asleep or actually asleep because his eyes are closed and his breathing's steady. I stare at the ceiling, wishing it away so maybe I could see the stars and moon and maybe they would give me some comfort. I close my eyes, but I can't go to sleep again. I guess that's what I get for disrupting my circadian rhythms. So I daydream, but it's at night. You think it'd just be regular dreaming, but it's not quite that either. I dream about flying. If I could grow sparrow-wings and touch the sky, then I could be free.

I find myself crying, but not the sobbing kind. The kind of sweet, unhappy ending to a romance movie kind. Thin trails of silent tears down my face, cleaning and purifying me. I cry until I can't anymore. And I lay there even longer, and eventually watching the amber-pink rays of sunrise light cast through the Bill-window in our room and I sit up, wipe the dried tears off my face, and begin again.


	3. YAY! This One's Sort Of Substantial!

It's the day of the party. This past week has gone by in a flash, and we've all been working furiously, except for Grunkle Stan. He, of course, had to work. Soos and Wendy did too, but they managed to sneak away every few hours and help, which is why they're my favorite friends! Other than Candy and Grenda, but they were both away this week...? I shouldn't think like that. I'm sure they were actually gone on family vacations. The room we're holding the party in looks wonderful! There are balloons and streamers tapped to the walls and we actually got a hold of a fog machine! The karaoke machine we got is second hand, but it should work for sure and since everyone will be in costume, no one will be scared! We had a kind of jungle-y theme, because most people I handed invitations to said they would dress up like an animal, because it's simple. Of course, Grunkle Ford has been treated like a celebrity under my care, and we've been secretly making him the best costume ever! I'm like a balloon myself, with all my air leaking. I'm making that weird squeaking sound about half of the time and the other half I'm bouncing all over the place, making sure everything is perfect. And honestly, it is. The streamers and banners look like vines and we put little plastic green shades over the lights so it's really dark green everywhere. I seriously cannot wait one more second!

By now, after double checking everything about five times (decachecking?), it's finally time for lunch. We go out to Greasy's again, but this time I don't see her and I have to admit, I'm a little sad. I vaguely wonder what's happening to me, but them I get distracted. Because she just walked past the window of our booth. I realize I'm staring after a second, but I can't really bring myself to care. She leans against our window now, and I swear she's smirking. I want to tap the glass, but Lazy Susan hates that.

"Mabel, you're gonna burn holes in the glass if you keep looking at it like that," Grunkle Stan says, laughing. I stick my tongue out at him and glance back at the woman one more time. She's looking at me now, and she's laughing. I make an "oh goodness" face and start giggling too.

"Mabel, do you know her?" Dipper asks me, looking from me to her and back again.

"In a sense," I say, still giggling. She puts her hand up to the glass so I do too. My hand and fingers are miniature compared to hers. She's probably about three years older than me, so I guess it makes sense. Her fingers are long and elegant, like almost everything else about her. She even draws her words out when she speaks, like English wasn't her first language. Dipper puts his head in his hands. She takes her hand from the window and waves goodbye, then walks away. I wave goodbye back, my face hot.

"How much do you know about her?" Grunkle Ford asks me, frowning.

"Nothing really!" I say, cheerfully stuffing my face.

"Well, be careful. You can't trust anyone here, my dear niece, and you have to remember Bill is always watching us. He could try to infiltrate our family and gain access to the rift!" Grunkle Ford looks at me seriously, but I smile.

"I'm absolutely sure she is not in cahoots with Bill," I say, hoping I sound convincing. Grunkle Ford nods solemnly.

"Come on Fordsie, don't go on with that "trust no one" nonsense. That's what got you in it with Bill in the first place," Grunkle Stan says, and I wince.

"No, my foolishness and naivety got me 'in it with Bill'. My precautions have saved me many times, I'm sure." Grunkle Ford says back, and gets up. "I'm going to go home and get ready for the party." He walks away. I sigh. Dipper pats my head from across the table and Grunkle Stan groans.

"I guess we should go to, if all of you are done?" I nod and so does Dipper. "Kids, in the car!" He orders us. There was no beer-date thing today! Now I'm really worried. We file into the car and sit down, and before we've even buckled our seat belts Grunkle Stan is off, driving like he's spilled hot coffee in his lap or someone's dying. It's almost comforting. I was worried he'd be more careful now. We get to the Mystery Shack in under five minutes, which I think is a new record for us. I hop out of the car, Dipper right on my tail and run into the Shack. It's time to get dressed!

I picked to dress as a unicorn, of course, because they are majestic and golden hearted, and I want to touch one! **1** I have a piece of paper rolled into a cone taped to a white headband on my head, with a shiny white wig. I'm wearing a horse mask we painted white and someone's old wedding dress that I tailored to fit me, with the added touch of white silk gloves.

Dipper decided to dress up as one of his clones he made, because he didn't want to dress up. Boring!

Wendy decided to dress as a tiger, because she think tigers are "sick." She has one of those tails you can buy tapped to an old pair of overalls, which I painted like tiger stripes for her. Under that she's wearing a gold and black flannel and she has bare feet. She also is wearing a black ball cap with ears tapped to it and a tiger mask. She actually looks pretty cool, even though it doesn't sound like it. She's Wendy, for goodness sakes!

Soos picked the Question Baby, so we put a nondescript grey mask over his face. Basic, but better than Dipper's!

Grunkle Stan is going as J. K. Simmons. In my personal opinion, I think this would have better suited Grunkle Ford, but I can't have Ford getting any ideas.

Grunkle Ford's costume is my magnum opus! He wanted to be "something human-y" so I dressed him up as Lady Gaga in her galactic dress thingy. We put a yellow, kinda curly wig on him, and I made a dress that looked normal until you got below his waist. The waist just cuts off and he's in white glitter tights, with a big trail of sparkly fabric behind him. There are thin ropes of super sparkly silk surrounding his torso and the fabric part of his waist. He told me he was a little embarrassed, but that's no matter. We had him put a white plastic mask on so no one could tell who he was!

Once we're all completely dressed, we still have about an hour before the party starts, which surprises me because usually getting ready takes us a pretty long time. But there's nothing to do but sit around in the TV room with our butterflies until someone gets here. We watch a program on the Used-To-Be-About-History-Channel about knights. It was pretty boring, so about halfway through I suggested we watch Hot Guys On The Beach, but no one wanted to. Lame! Finally, after half an hour or so, the doorbell rings.

"I'll get it!" I say, jumping up from my spot on the floor. I run to the door and open it, to see a magnificent figure in costume staring down at me. "Welcome, welcome, you must be here for our party!" We don't have a ticket booth, because in typical Stan fashion people have to pay to leave the party, not enter it. After the first person, it's like a dam had been lifted and people start flowing in almost constantly. I can't recognize anyone at all, and it feels fabulous.

The party itself, in fact, seems to be going over fabulously! People are dancing, and singing on the karaoke machine. Everyone's laughing with everyone else and we all seem to be at peace with one another. We simply must do this again sometime! Naturally, Grunkle Ford is on a throne, over seeing all dance-offs and sing-offs, which adds to the amazing-ness.

"May I have this dance?" A lion comes up and asks me, holding out their hand.

"Seems like a good use of time!" I say, grabbing their hand and beginning to dance. They swirl me around, guiding me, somehow, into a ballroom dance. Twirling and dipping, which I don't think I'm very good at. Before long, they're guiding me outside. I'm curious, but I'm also having fun, so I guess I don't care. The night air is cool and misty, and even under all my layers I find myself shivering. We stop dancing next to the forest, and I'm pretty disappointed. I look at the ground, trying to hide it. This person obviously has something important to tell me, but I'd rather keep dancing.

"Mabel," The lion addresses me. I gasp, looking up. They've taken their mask off and it's the woman. Her face is cloaked still by the darkness, but I know that for some reason I would recognize those elegant contours everywhere. Her eyes glittering in the night, even with no light from the concealed moon, also tips me off because of how much this woman, this beautiful woman, reminds me of a cat.

"How do you know my name?" I ask, taking off my mask as well and laying it on the ground next to hers.

"I've overheard it," she says, not missing a beat. I don't believe her, but at the same time I really, really want to. Grunkle Ford cannot be right about this.

"Okay, then tell me your name." I fold my arms.

"Veronica. For now," she says, leaning over to stare into my eyes, then sitting down against a tree. I sit down next to her, probably closer than necessary.

"For now?" I ask, knowing that she's lying about this one too.

"I'm a paranoid person..." she says, trailing off a little and not looking me in the eyes.

"You can trust me!" I say, suddenly feeling an overwhelming urge to know everything about this paranoid woman. I lean a bit closer to her in anticipation. "Most people do trust me with everything, and I can be a good secret keeper when I wanna be. I have no obligation to the law, so you don't even have to worry about that!"

"You might not feel an obligation to the law, and even if you knew that you had one you might not feel it anyway, but you have an obligation to your family. Let's stay at Veronica level for now." I'm utterly disappointed, but that just makes me more determined.

"Well, who would you feel comfortable telling?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like, what relationship would you have to have with a person to tell them?"

"We'd have to be..." she sighs. "I guess I'd have to be madly in love with them and they'd have to be at least a little in love with me."

"Challenge accepted!" I shout, throwing my arms around her shoulders. She squirms a little bit but I don't let her go.

"What are you gonna do?" She asks, sounding the least bit terrified.

"I'mma make you fall in love with me, obviously!" I say, releasing her and grinning. "And believe me, I am a master at this."

"Oh," she sighs. I have to decide whether to be sensitive or not. My first test.

"What is it?" I ask, putting my hand gently on her shoulder.

"It's just that- Hey! You are kind of good at this," she admits, looking away from me.

"I hoped so!" I shout, grinning. But suddenly there's a darkening in my mind and I'm scared. These are my demons.

"Is something wrong?" Paranoid Veronica asks, looking again at me.

"Nope!" I say, smiling back. The smile feels like fingers on a chalkboard in my mind.

"You're lying."

"Nope!" I say again, my voice faltering.

"You can't just keep saying nope, this doesn't work like that. If you ever want me to fall in love with you, you have to be open and able to tell me things."

"I can't tell you something I haven't even told Dipper!" I shout, and my eyes fill with tears. But I'm not letting them pour down my cheeks. The hot, thickness fills my throat and face, and I look away from her. Towards the sky.

"Yes," she sighs, "you can."

"Well..." I sigh too. "Okay. So before we even left Piedmont, our hometown, I lost my inspiration. It was such a strange feeling, like this utter draining of everything inside me, all the feelings, all the art, all the everything! And I didn't know what to do. So I made this Mabel up. I'm not a _freaking happy person_! I'm optimistic and I like sunshine and rainbows and all that, but boy crazy, always cheerful Mabel, she doesn't exsit on this dimension of the multiverse. Dipper has noticed this, but I guess he gives me some slack because puberty. But I couldn't blame him anyway, because he is literally the best brother ever. I never want to do anything, but I force myself to because otherwise they would know something's wrong! The very worst part is that sometimes I want to die. I don't want to kill myself, but I don't want to be here. And that shouldn't happen, because Dipper and our Grunkles and our parents and all my friends are amazing and ugh!"

"Why would that be such a bad thing?" She asks. "Why don't you want them to know?"

"That would put so much pressure on them, you know, and-"

"Then let's keep this between you and me?" She asks, cutting me off.

"Okay," I agree, leaning into the tree.

"Isn't that bark uncomfortable?" Veronica suggests, curling an arm around my shoulders. Her arm is much more comfort than the bark, I have to admit. It also seems impossibly warm, but I'm sure that's just a somatic illusion from how cold I am. I sigh softly for hopefully the last time that night and gaze into the night sky, hoping this is exactly what it seems.

 **1** **This is before the events of The Last Mabelcorn.**


	4. Guest Star: Linda

I sigh deeply as Veronica walks away. The party's over, and I have to help clean up now. I don't mind this stage of events, because I know that it was the spawning grounds of new relationships and good times for everyone involved. I dash back inside, not wanting to miss a second of the cleaning. And I stop as soon as I get inside, because in all my months of throwing parties, I've never seen someplace quite as trashed as this.

There are streamers and banners torn down, and the balloons are all deflated to a depressing degree. Soda stains frame the crumbs on the carpet and I think there's a few new gashes on the chairs. There's a musty smell hiding in the room, under a layer of b.o, like someone was really sweaty, but then smoked pot. It's all very dark, but I think the fog machine's broken and I feel a draft where there wasn't one before. A jungle of detritus. This is gonna take hours, but that's okay. I don't wanna sleep tonight anyway.

No one else is there when I walk in, and thus there is no one to greet me with a head nod or friendly wave. It might seem lonely, but honestly I'm thankful that it appears everyone else is knocked out for the night. I don't really feel like pretending anymore, especially after I talked with Veronica. As I clean the house, slowly and surely, I think of nothing other than her sweet smile that seemed to glow in the dark and the stars in her eyes, and of these things her small part in my life instilled in me somehow. How maybe I should be a little more honest with everyone around me and let them see me sometimes, instead of just building this huge, clear wall around my heart and mind so no one ever knows that I'm feeling things other than happy. Maybe I should at least tell Dipper that I'm not like how I seem now. I know he thinks something's wrong and he's right. Maybe I should try living instead of being who I'm supposed to be according to the demons in my head that try to tie me down. Maybe I should just try it for one day and if it doesn't work out I can go back to being just Mabel, happy happy happy not Mabel. Maybe Veronica can be my fire.

At midnight, I'm finally finished cleaning, but somehow I'm still not tired. I sit down in our TV room's chair, feeling the sweet release of my legs and arms, both sore and tired from the constant movement. I grab the remote and switch on the TV, flipping through channels. I finally land on the news when I see Veronica's rebellious smirk projected big on the evening news station.

"At this late hour, we have live footage of an unidentified woman burning a small effigy of Roland Barthes and a copy of A Lover's Discourse, screaming the name Mabel. It is unknown if this is a form of violent protest or a decree of love, but whatever it is, it's dangerous. Stay away from Greasy's tonight, folks," The newscaster lady says, bowing her head. The footage plays. It's a beautiful woman, Veronica for sure, and she is definitely screaming my name. It's a strange feeling. I wonder if she's drunk. Her fire illuminates the night like her words have illuminated my mind and I laugh. I'm sure she's just trying to make me feel things. She's somehow changed from her lion costume already, into a crop top and jorts. She smiles at the camera like she's a movie star, but her teeth gleam red, and keeps screaming. I sigh, flip the TV off and smile, standing up. I'm going to take a walk. I really need to clear my head and get a little freedom from this house, because these walls seem to suffocate me. I strip my costume off, finally getting a little hot, and change into some of my normal clothes. Then I run.

I run from the Mystery Shack, my beloved for the summer home, to the forest. And when I get to the edge of the forest, I keep going, letting the wind pick me up and toss me around. I feel everything, it seems! Running does that to you. My feet pound the ground, my legs pump with such infuriating ferocity that sometimes I wish I was my legs and that I could become the feelings inside me and embody them. I just wish, I guess, that I could feel like this all the time. I come to a sudden stop at the top of a cliff, and breath deep.

"I can be myself!" I scream into the night air, but it sounds more like a call for help. The stars don't understand, but the moon shines a little brighter for me, I think. Maybe I'm just crazy. I feel alive though, for the first time in awhile. I stay there, on top of the cliff for a good while, waiting for something to change in me. To make me more alive.

I wake up on the ground, leaning against a tree, to a beautiful sunrise. It's ruby and orange, and it reminds me of breakfast with Dipper when we were young, in the summer we would sit out on the porch and watch the sun come up through the city's skyline. Those were the golden days, but I'm sure more are soon to come. After all, there's Veronica.

"Mabel," someone says, and I turn around. It's... Wendy?

"Wendy, what are you doing here?" My voice comes out soft and slightly sad. Not like the Mabel they all know.

"Are you okay?" She asks me, not answering my question.

"Yes, I thi-" I stop myself. I'm not okay, and I want to be honest. "No. But we'll deal with that later. Why are you here?"

"Because I'm not okay either." She glances behind me, and her words suddenly make sense.

"I will not let you do that!" I shout, my voice stronger than I intend. "Come on, Wendy! Dipper's still in love with you, I don't care what he says. And Stan, despite his looks, would be lost without you. What about Robby? What would he do? And the rest of your friend group? All the teens would have to stop being teens because their best friend died of her own will! And what ab-"

"Mabel, stop. I won't do it. Yet. Maybe you should apply some of that strength to yourself." She sounds disaffected. Like she doesn't _really_ believe that people love her.

"I wasn't going to do that. I was just watching the sunrise."

"Sure, but people love you too. You know that, right? 'Cause Dipper... man, he'd do anything for you. And Gideon, as much his affection is unwanted, he still's pretty damn devoted. Stan, and Stan Two, they both love you. I know this, a little bird told me." I blink, because I don't want to cry. The tears come rolling down my face anyway.

"Hey, Wendy?" I choke out. "Do you wanna meet up here tomorrow night, too?" She nods and holds me close to her hip, letting me lean on her as we walk back to the Mystery Shack.


End file.
